Jack White on creativity & my four thoughts on things that hold us back.

1) Inspiration is hugely overrated. Don’t wait for the clouds to part and rays from heaven to come down. Do the work, every day.

2) Scarcity is fuel. Luxuries of time and space don’t help creativity; they strangle it. Constrict your time and choices; it creates clarity.

3) Avoid comfort. Don’t settle into patterns, but seek ways to create tension “Force yourself into it. Force yourself…. Deadlines and things make you creative. But opportunity and telling yourself, “Oh you have all that time in the world, all the money in the world, all the colours in your palette you want, anything you want…” – that just kills creativity.”

Jack goes onto say that to really test his talent he wants to be given the worst guitar in the world because only then can he measure how good he actually is. I think sometimes we can get caught up in thinking we need a huge tool kit at our disposal in order to ship great things. So here is my list of thoughts that Jack has inspired:

I won’t become a better writer just because I’m hauling a back pack around America

I don’t need to quit my job to become a better entrepreneur

I don’t need an expensive gym membership to increase my health

I don’t need to scrape by to truly be an artist

During this public holidays and long weekends I’m going to challenge myself and others to truly question what’s holding us back, is it our tools or is it ourselves. I don’t know about you but I’m off to go find the world’s worst guitar and make some music.